To:V. P. KRASNUKHA AND YELENA STASOVA[1]

Written:Written September 24, 1902Published:First published in 1924.

      Sent from London to St. Petersburg.

      Printed from the original.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1974,

      Moscow,Volume 34,

      pages116-117.Translated:Clemens DuttTranscription\Markup:D. MorosPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2005).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Apersonalletter to Vanya and Varvara Ivanovna. Please hand it
immediately to them alone.

Thenews of Bouncer’s “victory” has astounded
us.[2]Was the departure of Kasyan and Hairpin really sufficient to deprive the
Iskrists of the ability to act? Bouncer’s protest could lead only to your
proposing to himto put it to the voteand at once declaring by a
majority, firstly, that on the substance of the question he is in an
insignificant minority; and, secondly, that his complaint of violation of the
Rules is ridiculous and petty-fogging (for, according to the Rules, the opinion
should be asked of all who were present in St. Petersburg and the matter not
deferred pending an inquiry of those who were absent).

IfBouncer raised (dared to raise) the question of dissociation, it was
imperative at once to adopt a majority decision for his expulsion from the
Union.

Obviously,Bouncer is brazenly heading “for war” and the Iskrists
will be eternally disgraced if they do not reply to this by the most resolute
and desperate war. Do not be afraid of any threats on the part of Bouncer, you
have nothing to fear from publicity, treat the matter immediately as a war
issue, as we have written above, and adopt the decisions proposed above as
speedily as possible. Even if Bouncer carries still others along with him (even
if only half orless thanhalf of you are left) you should all the same
go the whole hog and demand Bouncer’s expulsion unconditionally, without
being the least afraid of a “split” in the Union.

Youshould also put an ultimatum to the workers too:
either a split in the Union and war, or a decisive condemnation of Bouncer by
the workers and his expulsion.

We,for our part, are writing at once to 2a3b. We areputting offthe
publication of the St. Petersburg statement inIskra.[3]

Werepeat: the question has now become apoint of honourwith theIskrapeople of St. Petersburg.... Of course, every thing you do now
must be done at a general meeting, to which Bouncer must be invited and minutes
of the decisions taken. Send us the minutes at once.

[1]Krasnukha,V. P.(1868-1913)—a Social-Democrat, an Iskrist;
since 1899 worked in the St. Petersburg Social-Democratic organisation; at
the beginning of April 1902 represented the St. Petersburg League of
Struggle at the Byelostok Conference. In November 1902 attended the Pskov
meeting of the Organising Committee for convening the Second Congress of
the R.S.D.L.P. at which he was elected a member.

Stasova,Yelena Dmitrievna(born 1873)—veteran of the
revolutionary movement, member of the Bolshevik Party since 1898. In
1902-03 a member of the St. Petersburg Committee. From August 1905 to
January 1906 carried out Party assignments in Geneva. p. 116

[2]Bouncer(Vyshibalo)—pseudonym of Tokarev, leader of the
St. Petersburg Economists. As a member of the St. Petersburg League of
Struggle, Tokarev protested against the July declaration of the
St. Petersburg Committee recognisingIskraandZaryaas
the leading organs of Russian Social-Democracy. He also demanded that the
representative of theIskraOrganisation be expelled from the
committee of the St. Petersburg League of Struggle. p. 116

[3]Thisrefers to the July declaration of the R.S.D.L.P.’s
St. Petersburg Committee announcing solidarity with the newspaperIskraand the journalZaryaand recognising them as the
leading organs of Russian Social-Democracy. This declaration was issued in
July 1902 in the form of a separate leaflet and subsequently printed inIskraNo. 26 for October 15, 1902. p. 117